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What Is Notepad++? Features, Real Uses, and Why It’s Still #3 Among Developers in 2026

If you’ve ever searched for a lightweight text editor for Windows, you’ve likely come across the name Notepad++. It comes up in developer forums, sysadmin subreddits, and tech blogs alike — and for good reason. Despite being over two decades old, Notepad++ ranked third in the 2024 Stack Overflow Developer Survey, with 29.1% of 65,000+ professional developers reporting they use it actively. That puts it behind only Visual Studio Code and Visual Studio — both of which are backed by Microsoft’s full engineering and marketing budget.

So what exactly is Notepad++, what does it do, and why do so many people still rely on it in 2026? This guide covers everything from its core features to real-world use cases.

What Is Notepad++?

Notepad++ is a free, open-source source code editor and text editor for Windows. It was created by Don Ho and first released in 2003. The name references Windows’ built-in Notepad app — with the “++” suggesting programming language increment operators, signaling this is Notepad with substantial additions.

It is built on the Scintilla editing component and written in C++, which is why it’s so fast and lightweight. The application runs as a native Windows binary — no runtime dependencies, no Electron, no JVM. The installer weighs in at around 4 MB. RAM usage at idle is approximately 32 MB.

Notepad++ is licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL), which means it’s free to use, modify, and distribute. There are no paid tiers, no feature limits, and no ads. The source code is publicly available on GitHub with over 27,600 stars and 6,800+ commits.

Core Features of Notepad++

Syntax Highlighting for 80+ Languages

One of Notepad++’s most-used features is syntax highlighting. It supports over 80 programming and markup languages out of the box, including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, PHP, C++, Java, SQL, XML, Markdown, Batch scripts, JSON, and many more. Each language token type — keywords, strings, comments, operators — gets a distinct color, making code dramatically easier to read and scan.

Colors are fully customizable. You can configure per-language, per-token color schemes using the built-in Style Configurator, or install community themes like Dracula, Nord, Zenburn, or Material Dark for a pre-built visual setup.

Multi-Tab Editing

Notepad++ supports multiple open files displayed as tabs in a single window, similar to a browser. You can have 50 files open simultaneously without opening 50 separate windows. Tabs can be reordered by dragging, and Notepad++ remembers your session between restarts — so if you close the editor with 12 files open, they’re all there when you reopen it.

Regular Expression Find & Replace

The Find & Replace dialog supports full Boost.Regex PCRE-compatible regular expressions. You can search for patterns across the current file, across selected text, or across an entire directory of files using Find in Files (Ctrl+Shift+F). This makes Notepad++ a powerful tool for log analysis, bulk text transformation, and data cleanup tasks that would otherwise require a script.

Plugin Ecosystem

Notepad++ includes a built-in Plugins Admin that lets you browse, install, update, and remove community plugins with one click. Over 140 plugins are available, covering use cases from file comparison (Compare plugin) to FTP editing (NppFTP), JSON formatting, Python scripting, hex editing, and Markdown preview.

Portable Mode

A portable ZIP version of Notepad++ requires zero installation. Download, extract, and run. Your settings are stored in the same folder as the executable, making it ideal for USB drives, shared lab computers, or any environment where you can’t install software with admin rights.

Dark Mode

Native dark mode was introduced in v8.0 and has been progressively refined through each release. As of v8.9.3, dark mode covers the editor window, tab bar, toolbar, all preference dialogs, search panels, and plugin-facing APIs. Enable it under Settings → Preferences → Dark Mode.

Who Actually Uses Notepad++?

The user base is broader than most people assume. According to 2025 usage data, 411 verified companies actively deploy Notepad++ in their workflows. The education sector leads, followed by IT services and software development firms. Geographically, the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada represent the largest user concentrations.

In practice, Notepad++ serves several distinct audiences:

  • Developers who keep it installed alongside a full IDE for fast file edits — opening a config file in Notepad++ is faster than waiting for VS Code to boot and index the workspace.
  • Sysadmins and IT teams who use it daily for batch script editing, log file parsing, editing remote server files via the NppFTP plugin, and quick hex inspection.
  • Students and learners who need a practical editor to write HTML, CSS, or Python without the complexity of a full IDE setup.
  • Writers and content creators who want a distraction-free plain text environment with word count, spell checking (via plugin), and the ability to open large documents that crash word processors.
  • Data professionals who deal with CSV, JSON, and XML files that need bulk transformation using regex find and replace across multiple files at once.

Notepad++ vs Windows Notepad

Windows Notepad has improved meaningfully in Windows 11 — it now has tabs and a basic dark mode. But it still lacks everything that makes an editor useful for any task beyond trivial note-taking: no syntax highlighting, no regex, no plugins, no macros, no multi-file search, no code folding, no session restore, and poor handling of files over a few megabytes in size.

Switching from Windows Notepad to Notepad++ takes two minutes. The learning curve for basic use is essentially zero — it opens files the same way, has the same keyboard shortcuts for copy/paste/undo, and looks familiar. You get all the power without any obligation to use features you don’t need.

How Notepad++ Compares to VS Code

Visual Studio Code is the dominant editor for active software development. It has Git integration, a debugger, IntelliSense, thousands of extensions, and a rich ecosystem built by Microsoft and the community. It uses approximately 322 MB of RAM at idle and takes 2–5 seconds to launch.

Notepad++ uses 32 MB of RAM and launches in under one second. For quick edits, log review, and text processing tasks, the tool that opens instantly wins. Many developers keep both installed: VS Code for active coding sessions, Notepad++ for everything else.

Current Version and Ongoing Development

The latest stable release is Notepad++ v8.9.3, released in March 2026. It includes a security patch for the auto-updater (CVE-2025-14819), a migration from TinyXML to pugixml for better performance, an update to Scintilla 5.6.0, and several bug fixes for Find in Files and the printing subsystem. Development continues on GitHub with regular commits, security patches, and new features shipping throughout 2024 and 2025.

Download Notepad++ Free

Notepad++ is available for free download — no registration, no trial period, no premium tier. You can get the latest version (v8.9.3) including both the installer and portable ZIP at Notepad++ on itch.io. Supports Windows 7 through Windows 11, 32-bit and 64-bit.

If you’re currently using Windows Notepad for anything beyond a temporary clipboard dump, Notepad++ is the immediate, obvious upgrade. Free, fast, and actively maintained for over 20 years.

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De Wachter – Caissa 7

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Well we had to win to ensure we were not relegated. We lost 6-2. I tried my best but could not bring down the defenses of my opponent. The end result was a draw.

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Almere 4 – De Wachter 1 – lucky escape?

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This game wound down to free pawn on either side of the board. I wonder if my 40th move (Kg4) was actually a losing move. Anyhow my opponent did not play b5 and the game resulted in a draw. De Wachter won 4,5 to 3,5.

Hyper-V, Ubuntu, Visual Studio

Setting up Visual Studio Code on Ubuntu 14.04 LTS in Hyper-V

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Since I like programming with the Raspberry Pi and also like Microsoft Visual Studio I thought it would be nice to set up a virtualized Ubuntu 14.04 LTS with Visual Studio Code. This can then serve as the development platform for my Raspberry Pi since it has support for node.js and Python.

 

What do you need:

Hyper-V for Virtualization

The ISO for Ubuntu 14.04 LTS

Visual Studio Code (no need to download as we are using an extra repository to install it using the package manager apt-get)

 

I used the x64 version of Ubuntu so I will need the same x64 version of Visual Studio Code. I assume you have set up Hyper-V and downloaded the ISO for Ubuntu. I am also assuming that you have set up an external switch so your virtual machine can connect to the internet. If not you can set it up in the virtual switch manager. Mine is configured as an external network. In effect the VMs will get an ip address from my router and this enables them to use the internet.

 

 

 

 

Steps:

  1. Create a new VM in Hyper-V using the wizard

 

 

2. Specify name and location of the virtual machine (VM)

 

 

3. Specify the newest VM format. I have not tried with earlier formats

 

 

4. Assign memory. I just give it 4 GB but you could probably do with less.

 

 

5. Assign networking. I have an external virtual switch so  I can connect the VM to the internet. This is necessary for the package manager apt-get to be working and we also want to be able to use npm, the node.js packet manager.

 

 

6. Create a new virtual harddisk. 20 GB should be plenty.

 

 

7. Specify the path to the Ubuntu 14.04 LTS iso in installation options.

 

 

8. Finish the wizard.

 

 

Now the virtual machine is created, go into settings.

 

 

Bump up the number of processors:

 

 

I have set 4 processors as I have plenty of (virtual) processors on an AMD FX8320. This CPU is an octacore. The reason to assign extra processors is that I could not get video acceleration working on Ubuntu in Hyper-V. If you just have one processor the Ubuntu desktop performs quite slowly.

 

Now we also need to set some boot options as otherwise Ubuntu will not boot. We need to disable secure boot (I think this only applies to 2nd generation VMs):

 

 

Okay now we are done let’s boot Ubuntu by starting the VM. Choose install Ubuntu.

 

 

Now the installer boots up and just accept the defaults but make sure you choose the correct timezone and set the correct keyboard settings. For username set it to something you can remember and set it to login automatically.

 

 

Now Ubuntu will install and get yourself some more cafeïne.

 

 

Restart and after pressing enter you should be greeted with the Ubuntu desktop.

 

 

Now we will need to do a few things.

We will need to update Ubuntu to the latest version

We will need to install extras to enable some extra functionality. See: https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn531029.aspx

We need to fix the video settings so we can run full screen in Hyper-V

 

  1. Update Ubuntu.

 

Open a terminal in Ubuntu. If you are not familiar with Ubuntu just press the button in the upper left corner and type terminal.

 

Click terminal in applications. Then type the following:

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get upgrade

 

This will update Ubuntu.

 

2. Install extensions for the Hyper-V on the virtual machine.

 

In the same terminal type:

sudo apt-get install –install-recommends linux-virtual-lts-vivid

sudo apt-get install –install-recommends linux-tools-virtual-lts-vivid linux-cloud-tools-virtual-lts-vivid

 

3. Fix the video settings. Since we want to develop we need to run full screen. To do this we need to set the video manually as display settings in Ubuntu cannot detect the correct settings. In the same terminal type (i am using nano since it is more friendly as vi):

sudo nano /etc/default/grub

 

Locate the line that reads:

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT=”quiet splash”

 

And change it to (in my case 1920×1080 is the highest my monitor can handle):

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT=”quiet splash video=hyperv_fb:1920×1080″

 

Press ctrl-x and say Y to save your settings. Now update grub by typing this in the terminal, then reboot:

sudo update-grub

sudo reboot

 

You should now be able to run your hyper-v vm with Ubuntu in full screen. Now we should be able to install some Visual Studio Code goodness.

 

After the reboot open up the terminal again (taken from http://askubuntu.com/questions/616075/how-to-install-visual-studio-code-on-ubuntu).

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntu-desktop/ubuntu-make

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install ubuntu-make

 

Then install Visual Studio Code:

umake ide visual-studio-code

 

Now Visual Studio Code will be installed and an icon will be added in the launchbar for Visual Studio.

Fix problematic node nodejs reference

ln -s /usr/bin/nodejs /usr/bin/node

See: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/26320901/cannot-install-nodejs-usr-bin-env-node-no-such-file-or-directory

You are ready to go now.

 

 

Mobile

New phone – switching from Apple IOS to Windows Phone with a BLU HD LTE

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At my work I have a Blackberry Z10 which I totally loathe. I could not figure out how to make a phone call on it at first. So I thought lets go for a new phone that supports dual sim. I can just slot both the private and work sim cards in and don’t have to lug around two phones.

Obviously the Apple line up has no dual sim so that was out. So I was left with Android and Windows Phone as possible platforms. As a budget I just wanted to spend as little as possible since I am ok with phoning, whatsapping, emailing, news, banking and facebook for basics. 4G (LTE) would be great but not essential.

At first my choices were:

  • Lumia 640
  • Motorola G (second generation)
  • Mii Redmi Note

All are in the 100-170 euro price range. The Motorola is only available in 3G and there is no dual sim on the latest generation (unless you are in Asia). The Mii looked very good but I had concerns about the service as it would have to be a china import. The Lumia 640 comes in at around 170 euro for the 4G model (cheaper for the 3G). I was just nosing around on Amazon.de when i noticed the Blu HD LTE which looked similar to the Lumia 640. It was just 130 euro for the 4G model and seemed to come with more accessories such as cover and screen protector. So I thought that gives me 40 euro to spend on beer extra so why not. Funny enough the Blu is not available in the Netherlands and the best way to get it is probably through Amazon.de.

So I ordered it. Since I have a Lumia 520 for backup phone and I was quite happy with that, I thought it was well worth a chance. After just three days the phone was delivered. So I unboxed it and here is what I noticed (compared to an IPhone 5s).

  • The device is pretty big at 5 inches and is bigger than the IPhone 5s
  • There is a cover, screen protector, earphones and usb cable in the box. No dedicated recharger.
  • It has the two sim slots plus an extra slot for the micro SD card (up to 64 GB I belief)
  • Front and back facing camera

Since I already have a Microsoft account I just added that when I set up the phone. Although that was a bit clunky with the sim card already in the new device, it completed without any more trouble and all my previous settings and apps were restored from the Lumia 520 backup. I managed to forget my password for the sim card of work so I will need to have that reset, so I cannot comment on the dual sim yet.

I will post some more of my experience after three months.

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Couple of mistakes and still a draw

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Perpetual chess. I liked my knights. Black should have won though.

Chess

First loss of the season

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This was my first loss this season. Our team lost 7-1. Computer analysis showed I should not have exchanged the rooks. Well leason learnt.

 

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Swindle king

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Well another swindle… I was in a clearly losing endgame after a mistake on move 37. Well it was pretty hard to calculate. I just wanted to protect that double pawn. So I was losing and somehow won again. Just a3 instead of b3 on move 41 would have won the game for white.

So what can you do to get a swindle:

  • You have already lost. Your opponent needs to work hard. The hardest is to win a win. The worst that can happen to you is that you lose.
  • Try and keep the queen on the board. The more moves you have the more complicated it stays for your opponent.
  • Sacrifice if you have to. Keep the position complicated.
  • Look confident.
  • Build a fortress, worst that can happen is you lose
  • Look for trickery like mate on back rank or wild knights attacking multiple pieces
  • Perpetual chess works
  • Look for stalemate
  • Its not my style but this happened to me: my opponent kinda slammed his queen on the board. I somehow did not take his queen then ended up losing my queen to a rook (and still drew the game). So some kind of little play to just throw your opponent off balance. I have no idea if this actually allowed…

Better an ugly win than a beautiful loss I suppose. De Wachter won 4,5 to 3,5.

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Boven IJ 2 – De Wachter league match

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This match ended in a draw. Could not really see how I could win this one. We lost 2,5 to 5,5.

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Chaturanga – De Wachter, the stolen win

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This was the first match I played with the Dutch Central Bank team in the Schaakbond Groot Amsterdam league. This win feels very stolen. I should have lost but tried everything to keep going. I tried to draw by perpetual check and even won in the end…